Allocation and directional information distribution in millimeter wave wlan networks

ABSTRACT

A wireless communication apparatus, system or method utilizing directional data transmission over a communication (e.g., mmW) band, and broadcasting time and directional allocations in each direction. Stations sending beacons containing time and directional allocations in its direction of transmission. Stations comparing beam identifications with received allocation to determine if the allocation is in the direction of reception. Stations performing receiver beamforming with a station from which a beacon was received in order to determine if the station can access the direction (channel) in its intended direction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/203,164 filed on Nov. 28, 2018, incorporated herein by reference inits entirety, which claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/719,782 filed on Aug. 20,2018, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

NOTICE OF MATERIAL SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

A portion of the material in this patent document may be subject tocopyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States andof other countries. The owner of the copyright rights has no objectionto the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or thepatent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent andTrademark Office publicly available file or records, but otherwisereserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The copyright owner does nothereby waive any of its rights to have this patent document maintainedin secrecy, including without limitation its rights pursuant to 37C.F.R. § 1.14.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The technology of this disclosure pertains generally to directionalmillimeter wave (mmW) wireless network communications, and moreparticularly to the distribution of time and directional allocationinformation.

2. Background Discussion

Millimeter wave (mmW) wireless local area networks (WLANs), includingmesh networks and mixtures of mesh and non-mesh networks, are becomingincreasingly important, especially in the millimeter wavelength (mm-Waveor mmW) regimes. In response to the need of higher capacity, networkoperators have begun to embrace various concepts to achievedensification. Current sub-6 GHz wireless technology is not sufficientto cope with high data demands. One alternative is to utilize additionalspectrum in the 30-300 GHz band which is often referred to as themillimeter wave band (mmW).

To efficiently utilize mmW wireless networking systems generallyrequires properly dealing with channel impairments and propagationcharacteristics of these high frequency bands. High free-space pathloss, high penetration, reflection and diffraction losses reduceavailable diversity and limit non-line-of-sight (NLOS) communications.Yet, the small wavelength of mmW enables the use of high-gainelectronically steerable directional antennas of practical dimensions,which can provide sufficient array gain to overcome path loss and ensurea high Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) at the receiver. Directionaldistribution networks (DNs) in dense deployment environments using mmWbands could be an efficient way for achieving reliable communicationsbetween stations (STAs) and overcoming line-of-sight channelrestrictions.

When a new station (STA or node) is starting up it will be looking(searching) for neighboring STAs to discover in a network to be joined.The process of initial access of a STA to a network comprises scanningfor neighboring STAs and discovering all active STAs in the localvicinity. This can be performed either through the new STA searching fora specific network or list of networks to join, or by the new STAsending a broadcast request to join any already established network thatwill accept the new STA.

A STA connecting to a distributed network (DN) needs to discoverneighboring STAs to decide on the best way to reach a gateway/portal DNSTAs and the capabilities of each of these neighboring STAs. The new STAexamines every channel for possible neighboring STAs over a specificperiod of time. If no active STA is detected after that specific time,the new STA moves to test the next channel. When a STA is detected, thenew STA collects sufficient information to configure its physical (PHY)layer (e.g., OSI model) for operation in the regulatory domain (IEEE,FCC, ETSI, MKK, etc.). This task is further challenging in mmWavecommunications due to directional transmissions. The challenges in thisprocess can be summarized as: (a) knowledge of surrounding STAs IDs; (b)knowledge of the best transmission pattern(s) for beamforming; (c)channel access issues due to collisions and deafness; and (d) channelimpairments due to blockage and reflections. Designing a neighborhooddiscovery method to overcome some or all of the above is of utmostimportance to enable pervasiveness of mmWave D2D and DN technologies.

Most existing technologies for DN address discovery for networksoperating in broadcast mode are not targeted to networks withdirectional wireless communications. In addition, those technologieswhich utilize directional wireless network communications often havevery high overhead demands in regards to the generation of beaconsignals. Still further these technologies lack sufficient mechanisms forreducing the overhead and latencies involved with performing discovery.

Current mmWave communication systems rely on directional communicationsto gain sufficient link budget between the transmitter (Tx) and thereceiver (Rx). For a station to access the channel it first listens tocheck if the medium is either occupied or free. The listening phase isusually performed using a quasi-omni antenna, and in many instances thisresults in channel access being blocked although the transmission orreception direction is not affected by actual directional signal.

Accordingly, a need exists for enhanced mechanisms for providing moreefficient channel access within a mmWave directional wireless network.The present disclosure fulfills that need and provides additionalbenefits over previous technologies.

BRIEF SUMMARY

To overcome the problem with blocked channel access due tointerferences, a mmW WLAN protocol is described in which stations (STAs)perform more efficient time and directional allocations by broadcastingthese allocations in a number of different ways, as will be described.

The approach allows a station, which finds the channel blocked when itlistens to the channel, such as with a quasi-omni antenna, to continueto obtain additional information that in many cases will show that theactual transmission and/or reception direction is not affected by thesignal sensed through the quasi-omni antenna. Furthermore, the instantdisclosure determines if the sensed signal will affect the stationtrying to access the channel and the directions where the channel isoccupied and free, and is configured for marking the interfering antennadirections as being busy so that nearby stations can coexist withoutdegrading network performance.

Other solutions which could be considered in addressing these issuescould involve lowering the clear channel assessment threshold in case ofdirectional transmission. However, such approaches would likely showfavoritism to nodes with higher gain as compared to others, and wouldstill not optimize channel use. Explicit directional channel sensingcould also be performed, however, this would result in substantialoverheads.

The disclosed apparatus/system/method is configured for broadcastingallocation and directionality information (e.g., Transmit and Receive)in a directional WLAN network. This is performed through attaching theallocation information and the directionality information to the beaconframes that announce the WLAN network. Any STA receiving that beacon canthen determine the time the channel is occupied, the time the channel isfree, the spatial directions that are occupied and the spatialdirections that are not occupied.

The wireless directional system disclosed is applicable to a wide rangeof network applications, for example device-to-device (D2D),peer-to-peer (P2P), wireless and mesh networking applications which canbe applied to wireless LAN (WLAN), wireless personal area networks(WPAN), and outdoor wireless communications. The target applications forexample include, but are not limited to, Wi-Fi, WiGig, and otherwireless networks, Internet of things (IoT) applications, backhaulingand fronthaul of data, indoor and outdoor distribution networks, meshnetworks, next generation cellular networks with D2D communications, andnumerous other applications as will be readily recognized by one ofordinary skill in the art.

Further aspects of the technology described herein will be brought outin the following portions of the specification, wherein the detaileddescription is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodimentsof the technology without placing limitations thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The technology described herein will be more fully understood byreference to the following drawings which are for illustrative purposesonly:

FIG. 1 is a timing diagram of active scanning performed in an IEEE802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN).

FIG. 2 is a station (STA) diagram for a Distributed Network (DN) showinga combination of DN and non-DN stations.

FIG. 3 is a data field diagram depicting a DN identification element foran IEEE 802.11 WLAN.

FIG. 4 is a data field diagram depicting a DN configuration element foran IEEE 802.11 WLAN.

FIG. 5 is a schematic of antenna sector sweeping (SSW) in the IEEE802.11ad protocol.

FIG. 6 is a signaling diagram showing signaling of sector-level sweeping(SLS) in the IEEE 802.11ad protocol.

FIG. 7 is a data field diagram depicting a sector sweep (SSW) frameelement for IEEE 802.11ad.

FIG. 8 is a data field diagram depicting the SSW field within the SSWframe element for IEEE 802.11ad.

FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are data field diagrams depicting SSW feedbackfields shown when transmitted as part of an ISS in FIG. 9A, and when nottransmitted as part of an ISS in FIG. 9B, as utilized for IEEE 802.11ad.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of wireless mmW communication stationhardware as utilized according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 11 is a mmW beam pattern diagram for the station hardware of FIG.10 as utilized according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a beam pattern diagram for a discovery band communicationsantenna (i.e., sub-6 GHz), according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B are data field diagrams depicting example WLANframes containing allocation and directional information according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a data field diagram depicting a WLAN frame showingallocation resources according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 15 is a beam pattern diagram of a station communicating throughallocated resources with neighboring stations according to an embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a data field diagram of Extended DMG (EDMG) schedulingaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a data field diagram of a channel allocation field accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a data field diagram of receive and transmit directionsubfields according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 19 is a data field diagram of a TDD slot schedule element accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 20 is a data field diagram of a slot schedule control fieldaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 21 is a data field diagram of a directional information elementaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 22 is a data field diagram of another directional informationelement according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 23 is a flow diagram of transmission of beacons containing TimeDivision Duplex (TDD) directional and allocation information accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B are data field diagrams of beacon framestransmitted in different directions according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 25 is a flow diagram of transmitting beacons with Time DivisionDuplex (TDD) directional and allocation information according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 26A and FIG. 26B are data field diagrams of different beacon frametransmissions according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 27 is a flow diagram of transmitting beacons with a directionalinformation element according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 28 is a flow diagram of a station receiving beacons, containingallocation and directional information, from another station accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 29A through FIG. 29C is a communication process diagram betweenstations in which interference is detected and handled according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 30A through FIG. 30D is a communication process diagram of stationsaccessing a channel above the Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) thresholdas performed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

When used in this disclosure the following terms have the meaningsgenerally described below.

A-BFT: Association-Beamforming Training period; a period announced inthe beacons that is used for association and beamform (BF) training ofnew stations (STAs) joining the network.

AP: Access Point; an entity that contains one station (STA) and providesaccess to the distribution services, through the wireless medium (WM)for associated STAs.

Beamforming (BF): a directional transmission from a directional antennasystem or array, and not an omni-directional or quasi-omni antenna, fordetermining information for improving received signal power orsignal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the intended receiver, and under whichstations can obtain information for correlating time and directionalallocation information.

BSS: Basic Service Set; a set of stations (STAs) that have successfullysynchronized with an AP in the network.

BI: the Beacon Interval is a cyclic super frame period that representsthe time between beacon transmission times.

BRP: BF Refinement protocol is a BF protocol that enables receivertraining and iteratively trains transmitter and receiver sides tooptimize (achieve the best possible) directional communications.

BSS: Basic Service Set, is a component of the IEEE 802.11 WLANarchitecture, built around a BSS which is actually a set of STAsconnecting to the wireless medium allowing the STAs to communicate witheach other.

BTI: Beacon Transmission Interval, is the interval between successivebeacon transmissions.

CBAP: Contention-Based Access Period is the time period within the datatransfer interval (DTI) of a directional multi-gigabit (DMG) BSS wherecontention-based enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) is utilized.

CCA: Clear Channel Assessment is a wireless carrier sense mechanismdefined in IEEE 802.11.

DMG: Directional Multi-Gigabit are a form of high throughput wirelesscommunications described in IEEE 802.

EDMG: Extended Directional Multi-Gigabit.

DTI: Data Transfer Interval is the period in which full BF training ispermitted followed by actual data transfer. The DTI can include one ormore service periods (SPs) and contention-based access periods (CBAPs).

LOS: Line-of-Sight, a communication in which the transmitter andreceiver are ostensibly within sight of one another, and not the resultof communication of a reflected signal. The opposite condition is NLOSfor non-line-of-sight, wherein stations are not in LOS with one another.

MAC address: a Medium Access Control (MAC) address.

MBSS: Mesh Basic Service Set is a basic service set (BSS) that forms aself-contained network of distributed network (DN) Stations (DN STAs)which may be used as a distribution system (DS).

MCS: Modulation and Coding Scheme; defines an index that can betranslated into the physical (PHY) layer (e.g., OSI model) data rate.

MSTA: Mesh station (MSTA) is a station (STA) that implements the Meshfacility, and when it operates in the Mesh BSS it may provide thedistribution services for other MSTAs.

DN STA: distributed network (DN) station (DN STA) is a station (STA)that implements the DN facility. A DN STA that operates in the DN BSSmay provide the distribution services for other DN STAs.

Omni-directional: a mode of transmission utilizing a non-directionalantenna.

Quasi-omni directional: is a mode of communication utilizing adirectional multi-gigabit (DMG) antenna with the widest beamwidthattainable.

Receive sector sweep (RXSS): Reception of Sector Sweep (SSW) frames via(across) different sectors, in which a sweep is performed betweenconsecutive receptions.

RSSI: receive signal strength indicator (in dBm).

SLS: Sector-level Sweep phase is a BF training phase that can include asmany as four components: an Initiator Sector Sweep (ISS) to train theinitiator, a Responder Sector Sweep (RSS) to train the responder link,such as using SSW Feedback and an SSW ACK.

SNR: received Signal-to-Noise Ratio in dB.

SP: Service Period is the time period that is scheduled by the accesspoint (AP), with scheduled SPs starting at fixed intervals of time.

Spectral efficiency: the information rate that can be transmitted over agiven bandwidth in a specific communication system, usually expressed inbits per second, or in Hertz.

SSID: service Set Identifier is the name assigned to a WLAN network.

STA: Station is a logical entity that is a singly addressable instanceof a medium access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) interface tothe wireless medium (WM).

Sweep: a sequence of transmissions, separated by a short beamforminginterframe space (SBIFS) interval, in which the antenna configuration atthe transmitter or receiver is changed between transmissions.

SSW: Sector Sweep, is an operation in which transmissions are performedin different sectors (directions) and information collected on receivedsignals, strengths and so forth.

TDD: Time Division Duplex allows the communication link to be duplexed,in which uplink is separated from downlink by the allocation ofdifferent time slots in the same frequency band, to adjust for differentuplink and downlink data transmission flows.

TDD SP: Time Division Duplexing Service Period is a service period withTDD channel access, in which the TDD SP comprises a sequence of TDDintervals that, in turn, comprise a sequence of TDD slots.

Transmit Sector Sweep (TXSS): is transmission of multiple Sector Sweep(SSW) or Directional Multi-gigabit (DMG) Beacon frames via differentsectors, in which a sweep is performed between consecutivetransmissions.

1. Existing Directional Wireless Network Technology

1.1. WLAN Systems

In WLAN systems, such as 802.11, there are defined two modes ofscanning; passive and active scanning. The following are thecharacteristics of passive scanning. (a) A new station (STA) attemptingto join a network, examines each channel and waits for beacon frames forup to MaxChannelTime. (b) If no beacon is received, then the new STAmoves to another channel, thus saving battery power since the new STAdoes not transmit any signal in scanning mode. The STA should waitenough time at each channel so that it does not miss the beacons. If abeacon is lost, the STA should wait for another beacon transmissioninterval (BTI).

The following are the characteristics of active scanning. (a) A new STAwanting to join a local network sends probe request frames on eachchannel, according to the following. (a)(1) The new STA moves to achannel, waits for incoming frames or a probe delay timer to expire.(a)(2) If no frame is detected after the timer expires, the channel isconsidered to not be in use. (a)(3) If a channel is not in use, the STAmoves to a new channel. (a)(4) If a channel is in use, the STA gainsaccess to the medium using regular DCF and sends a probe request frame.(a)(5) The STA waits for a desired period of time (e.g., Minimum ChannelTime) to receive a response to the probe request if the channel wasnever busy. The STA waits for more time (e.g., Maximum Channel Time) ifthe channel was busy and a probe response was received.

(b) A Probe Request can use a unique service set identifier (SSID), listof SSIDs or a broadcast SSID. (c) Active scanning is prohibited in somefrequency bands. (d) Active scanning can be a source of interference andcollision, especially if many new STAs arrive at the same time and areattempting to access the network. (e) Active scanning is a faster way(less delay) for STAs to gain access to the network compared to the useof passive scanning, since STAs do not need to wait for beacons. (f) Inthe infrastructure basic service set (BSS) and IBSS, at least one STA isawake to receive and respond to probes. (g) STAs in a distributednetwork (DN) basic service set (MBSS) might not be awake at any point oftime to respond. (h) When radio measurement campaigns are active, STAsmight not answer the probe requests. (i) Collision of probe responsescan arise. STAs might coordinate the transmission of probe responses byallowing the STA that transmitted the last beacon to transmit the firstProbe Response. Other STAs can follow and use back-off times and regulardistributed coordination function (DCF) channel access to avoidcollision.

FIG. 1 depicts the use of active scanning in an IEEE 802.11 WLAN,depicting a scanning station sending a probe and two responding stationswhich receive and respond to the probe. The figure also shows theminimum and maximum probe response timing. The value G1 is shown set toSIFS which is the interframe spacing prior to transmission of anacknowledgment, while value G3 is DIFS which is DCF interframe spacing,represented the time delay for which a sender waits after completing abackoff period before sending an RTS package.

1.2. IEEE 802.11s Distributed Network (DN) WLAN

IEEE 802.11s (hereafter 802.11s) is a standard that adds wireless meshnetworking capabilities to the 802.11 standard. In 802.11s new types ofradio stations are defined as well as new signaling to enable meshnetwork discovery, establishing peer-to-peer connection, and routing ofdata through the mesh network.

FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a mesh network where a mix of non-meshSTA connect to Mesh-STA/AP (solid lines) and Mesh STAs connect to othermesh STA (dotted lines) including a mesh portal. Nodes in mesh networksuse the same scanning techniques defined in the 802.11 standard fordiscovering neighbors. The identification of the mesh network is givenby the Mesh ID element contained in the Beacon and the Probe Responseframes. In one mesh network, all mesh STAs use the same mesh profile.Mesh profiles are considered the same if all parameters in the meshprofiles match. The mesh profile is included in the Beacon and ProbeResponse frames, so that the mesh profile can be obtained by itsneighbor mesh STAs through the scan.

When a mesh STA discovers a neighbor mesh STA through the scanningprocess, the discovered mesh STA is considered a candidate peer meshSTA. It may become a member of the mesh network, of which the discoveredmesh STA is a member, and establish a mesh peering with the neighbormesh STA. The discovered neighbor mesh STA may be considered a candidatepeer mesh STA when the mesh STA uses the same mesh profile as thereceived Beacon or Probe Response frame indicates for the neighbor meshSTA.

The mesh STA attempts to maintain the discovered neighbor's informationin a Mesh Neighbors Table which includes: (a) neighbor MAC address; (b)operating channel number; and (c) the most recently observed link statusand quality information. If no neighbors are detected, the mesh STAadopts the Mesh ID for its highest priority profile and remains active.All the previous signaling to discover neighbor mesh STAs are performedin broadcast mode. It should be appreciated that 802.11s was nottargeted for networks with directional wireless communications.

FIG. 3 depicts a Mesh Identification element (Mesh ID element) which isused to advertise the identification of a Mesh Network. Mesh ID istransmitted in a Probe request, by a new STA willing to join a meshnetwork, and in beacon and signals, by existing mesh network STAs. AMesh ID field of length 0 indicates the wildcard Mesh ID, which is usedwithin a Probe Request frame. A wildcard Mesh ID is a specific ID thatprevents a non-mesh STA from joining a mesh network. It should berecognized that a mesh station is a STA that has more features than anon-mesh station, for example a mesh network is like having the STArunning as a module in additional to some other modules to serve themesh functionality. If the STA does not have this mesh module it shouldnot be allowed to connect to a mesh network.

FIG. 4 depicts a Mesh configuration element as contained in Beaconframes and Probe Response frames transmitted by mesh STAs, and it isused to advertise mesh services. The main contents of the MeshConfiguration elements are: (a) a path selection protocol identifier;(b) a path selection metric identifier; (c) a congestion control modeidentifier; (d) a synchronization method identifier; and (e) anauthentication protocol identifier. The contents of the MeshConfiguration Element together with the Mesh ID form a mesh profile.

The 802.11a standard defines many procedures and mesh functionalitiesincluding: mesh discovery, mesh peering management, mesh security, meshbeaconing and synchronization, mesh coordination function, mesh powermanagement, mesh channel switching, three address, four address, andextended address frame formats, mesh path selection and forwarding,interworking with external networks, intra-mesh congestion control andemergency service support in mesh BSS.

1.3. Millimeter Wave in WLAN

WLANs in millimeter wave bands generally require the use of directionalantennas for transmission, reception or both, to account for the highpath loss and to provide sufficient SNR for communication. Usingdirectional antennas in transmission or reception makes the scanningprocess directional as well. IEEE 802.11ad and the new standard 802.11aydefine procedures for scanning and beamforming for directionaltransmission and reception over the millimeter wave band.

1.4. IEEE 802.11ad Scanning and BF Training

An example of a mmWave WLAN state-of-the-art system is the 802.11adstandard.

1.4.1. Scanning

A new STA operates on passive or active scanning modes to scan for aspecific SSID, a list of SSIDs, or all discovered SSIDs. To passivelyscan, a STA scans for DMG beacon frames containing the SSID. To activelyscan: a DMG STA transmits Probe Request frames containing the desiredSSID or one or more SSID List elements. The DMG STA might also have totransmit DMG Beacon frames or perform beamforming training prior to thetransmission of Probe Request frames.

1.4.2. BF Training

BF training is a bidirectional sequence of BF training frametransmissions that uses a sector sweep and provides the necessarysignaling to allow each STA to determine appropriate antenna systemsettings for both transmission and reception.

The 802.11ad BF training process can be performed in three phases. (1) Asector level sweep phase is performed whereby directional transmissionwith low gain (quasi-omni) reception is performed for link acquisition.(2) A refinement stage is performed that adds receive gain and finaladjustment for combined transmit and receive. (3) Tracking is thenperformed during data transmission to adjust for channel changes.

1.4.3. 802.11ad SLS BF Training Phase

This SLS BF Training Phase focuses on the sector level sweep (SLS)mandatory phase of the 802.11ad standard. During SLS, a pair of STAsexchange a series of sector sweep (SSW) frames (or beacons in case oftransmit sector training at the PCP/AP) over different antenna sectorsto find the one providing highest signal quality. The station thattransmits first is called the initiator; the station that transmitssecond is referred to as the responder.

During a transmit sector sweep (TXSS), SSW frames are transmitted ondifferent sectors while the pairing STA (the responder) receivesutilizing a quasi-omni directional pattern. The responder determines theantenna array sector from the initiator which provided the best linkquality (e.g. SNR).

FIG. 5 depicts the concept of sector sweep (SSW) in 802.11ad. In thisfigure, an example is given in which STA 1 is an initiator of the SLSand STA 2 is the responder. STA 1 sweeps through all of the transmitantenna pattern fine sectors while STA 2 receives in a quasi-omnipattern. STA 2 feeds back to STA 2 the best sector it received from STA1.

FIG. 6 illustrates the signaling of the sector-level sweep (SLS)protocol as implemented in 802.11ad specifications. Each frame in thetransmit sector sweep includes information on sector countdownindication (CDOWN), a Sector ID, and an Antenna ID. The best Sector IDand Antenna ID information are fed back with the Sector Sweep Feedbackand Sector Sweep ACK frames.

FIG. 7 depicts the fields for the sector sweep frame (an SSW frame) asutilized in the 802.11ad standard, with the fields outlined below. TheDuration field is set to the time until the end of the SSW frametransmission. The RA field contains the MAC address of the STA that isthe intended receiver of the sector sweep. The TA field contains the MACaddress of the transmitter STA of the sector sweep frame.

FIG. 8 illustrates data elements within the SSW field. The principleinformation conveyed in the SSW field is as follows. The Direction fieldis set to 0 to indicate that the frame is transmitted by the beamforminginitiator and set to 1 to indicate that the frame is transmitted by thebeamforming responder. The CDOWN field is a down-counter indicating thenumber of remaining DMG Beacon frame transmissions to the end of theTXSS. The sector ID field is set to indicate sector number through whichthe frame containing this SSW field is transmitted. The DMG Antenna IDfield indicates which DMG antenna the transmitter is currently using forthis transmission. The RXSS Length field is valid only when transmittedin a CBAP and is reserved otherwise. This RXSS Length field specifiesthe length of a receive sector sweep as required by the transmittingSTA, and is defined in units of a SSW frame. The SSW Feedback field isdefined below.

FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B depict SSW feedback fields. The format shown in FIG.9A is utilized when transmitted as part of an Internal Sublayer Service(ISS), while the format of FIG. 9B is used when not transmitted as partof an ISS. The Total Sectors in the ISS field indicate the total numberof sectors that the initiator uses in the ISS. The Number of Rx DMGAntennas subfield indicates the number of receive DMG antennas theinitiator uses during a subsequent Receive Sector Sweep (RSS). TheSector Select field contains the value of the Sector ID subfield of theSSW field within the frame that was received with best quality in theimmediately preceding sector sweep. The DMG Antenna Select fieldindicates the value of the DMG Antenna ID subfield of the SSW fieldwithin the frame that was received with best quality in the immediatelypreceding sector sweep. The SNR Report field is set to the value of theSNR from the frame that was received with best quality during theimmediately preceding sector sweep, and which is indicated in the sectorselect field. The poll required field is set to 1 by a non-PCP/non-APSTA to indicate that it requires the PCP/AP to initiate communicationwith the non-PCP/non-AP. The Poll Required field is set to 0 to indicatethat the non-PCP/non-AP has no preference about whether the PCP/APinitiates the communication.

2. Station (STA) Hardware Configuration

FIG. 10 illustrates an example embodiment 10 of STA hardwareconfiguration showing I/O path 12 into hardware block 13, having acomputer processor (CPU) 16 and memory (RAM) 18 coupled to a bus 14,which is coupled to I/O path 12 giving the STA external I/O, such as tosensors, actuators and so forth. Instructions from memory 18 areexecuted on processor 16 to execute a program which implements thecommunication protocols, which are executed to allow the STA to performthe functions of a “new STA”, or one of the STAs already in the network.It should also be appreciated that the programming is configured tooperate in different modes (source, intermediate, destination),depending on what role it is playing in the current communicationcontext. This host machine is shown configured with a mmW modem 20coupled to radio-frequency (RF) circuitry 22 a, 22 b, 22 c to aplurality of antennas 24 a through 24 n, 26 a through 26 n, 28 a through28 n to transmit and receive frames with neighboring STAs. In addition,the host machine is also seen with a sub-6 GHz modem 30 coupled toradio-frequency (RF) circuitry 32 to antenna(s) 34.

Thus, this host machine is shown configured with two modems (multi-band)and their associated RF circuitry for providing communication on twodifferent bands. By way of example and not limitation the intendeddirectional communication band is implemented with a mmW band modem andits associated RF circuitries for transmitting and receiving data in themmW band. The other band, generally referred to herein as the discoveryband, comprises a sub-6 GHz modem and its associated RF circuitry fortransmitting and receiving data in the sub-6 GHz band.

Although three RF circuits are shown in this example for the mmW band,embodiments of the present disclosure can be configured with modem 20coupled to any arbitrary number of RF circuits. In general, using alarger number of RF circuits will result in broader coverage of theantenna beam direction. It should be appreciated that the number of RFcircuits and number of antennas being utilized is determined by hardwareconstraints of a specific device. Some of the RF circuitry and antennasmay be disabled when the STA determines it is unnecessary to communicatewith neighbor STAs. In at least one embodiment, the RF circuitryincludes frequency converter, array antenna controller, and so forth,and is connected to multiple antennas which are controlled to performbeamforming for transmission and reception. In this way the STA cantransmit signals using multiple sets of beam patterns, each beam patterndirection being considered as an antenna sector.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example embodiment 50 of mmWave antennadirections which can be utilized by a STA to generate a plurality (e.g.,36) of mmWave antenna sector patterns. In this example, the STAimplements three RF circuits 52 a, 52 b, 52 c and connected antennas,and each RF circuitry and connected antenna generate a beamformingpattern 54 a, 54 b, 54 c. Antenna pattern 54 a is shown having twelvebeamforming patterns 56 a, 56 b, 56 c, 56 d, 56 e, 56 f, 56 g, 56 h, 56i, 56 j, 56 k and 56 n (“n” representing that any number of patterns canbe supported). The example station using this specific configuration hasthirty six (36) antenna sectors, although the present disclosure cansupport any desired number of antenna sectors. For the sake of clarityand ease of explanation, the following sections generally exemplify STAswith a smaller number of antenna sectors, but this is not to beconstrued as an implementation limitation. It should be appreciated thatany arbitrary beam pattern can be mapped to an antenna sector.Typically, the beam pattern is formed to generate a sharp beam, but itis possible that the beam pattern is generated to transmit or receivesignals from multiple angles.

Antenna sector is determined by a selection of mmWave RF circuitry andbeamforming commanded by the mmWave array antenna controller. Althoughit is possible that STA hardware components have different functionalpartitions from the one described above, such configurations can bedeemed to be a variant of the explained configuration. Some of themmWave RF circuitry and antennas may be disabled when the STA determinesit is unnecessary to communicate with neighbor STAs.

In at least one embodiment, the RF circuitry includes frequencyconverter, array antenna controller, and so forth, and is connected tomultiple antennas which are controlled to perform beamforming fortransmission and reception. In this way the STA can transmit signalsusing multiple sets of beam patterns, each beam pattern direction beingconsidered as an antenna sector.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example embodiment 70 of antenna pattern for thesub-6 GHz modem assumed to use a quasi-omni antenna 74 attached to itsRF circuitry 72, although other circuitry and/or antennas may beutilized without limitation.

3. Distributing Allocation Information in Present Disclosure

The present disclosure teaches a number of elements which provide forthe distribution and use of time and directional allocation information.

FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B illustrate example embodiments 90, 110 of a WLANsuper frame. The first example in FIG. 13A illustrates an example of asuper frame 90 where the BTI 92, 102 includes beacon transmission toindicate the scheduled information about the current beacon interval.The beacon transmitted during the BTI interval has information aboutallocated resources 96, such as the various scheduled periods (SP 97,TDD-SP 98, CBAP 100). The beacon transmitted during the BTI hasinformation about the direction of transmission and reception as well.The beacon transmitted during the BTI also provides information 94 aboutthe unused resources (unscheduled time resources), which represent timeresources that are not assigned to the access scheme, or that aredefined by the beacon as empty and unscheduled.

The second example in FIG. 13B illustrates an example in which the superframe 110 between BTI 112 and 122, is TDD-SP 114 scheduled. In thisframe, the beacon transmitted in the BTI has information about theTDD-SP schedule. The node receiving the beacon can figure out(determine) the TDD slots that are not scheduled (unscheduled) 116, orthat are scheduled 118, 120, to other users that will not interfere withit. By way of example a number of periods for transmit (Tx) 118 andreceive (Rx) 120 are seen in the figure.

4. Directional Channel Information

The STA transmits information about the directions where datatransmission and reception are taking place. This information isbroadcast to nearby nodes to map the scheduled time domain informationto the directions transmitted and received. The directional informationin at least one embodiment includes sector ID and antenna ID of eachallocated transmission or possible transmission in a specific serviceperiod.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example embodiment 130 of a WLAN frame in whichthe time resources are allocated 134 for users. The frame is shown withfields depicted as Beacon Transmission Intervals (BTIs) 132, ServicePeriod (SP) (Tx/Rx) 136 (e.g., depicted for Sector 5), Contention BasedAccess Period (CBAP) (Tx/Rx) 138 (e.g., depicted for Sectors 12, 25),142, and Time Division Duplex-Service Period (TDD-SP) (Tx/Rx) 140 (e.g.,depicted for Sector 34). The use of each of these fields are describedbelow in relation to the directional transmission example of FIG. 15.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example embodiment 150 in which a station (STA 4)is transmitting information in all directions. A number of STA nodes areseen as 152 STA 1, 154 STA 2, 156 STA 3, and 158 STA 4. It will be notedthat STA 4 is also communicating with other STAs that are not shown forthe sake of simplicity of illustration.

STA 4 is seen transmitting beacons in all directions, with sectordirections 5, 12, 25 and 34 which are seen highlighted in this examplefigure. STA 1 152 is receiving 153 the beacon 130 of FIG. 14 from sectorID 5 from STA 4, and obtains data in a scheduled SP period 136, and CBAPperiod 142, of the transmission. STA 2 154 receives 155 the beacon, seenfrom sector 8, but there is no specific data for that sector in thebeacon. STA 3 156 similarly receives 157 the beacon from sector ID 12,obtaining data in a scheduled CBAP period seen in FIG. 14 field 138.

Looking at FIG. 14, it is also seen that 158 STA 4 also communicatesallocation data in sectors 25 and 34 with STAs not shown in the figure.It will be noted that STAs in the surrounding area that are receivingthe beacons can determine for themselves if the allocation indicated inthe beacon is coming from the same direction from which the beacon isreceived, or not. For example this can be performed by comparing thesector ID of the indicated allocation to the sector ID of the receivedbeacon. If the sector ID of the received beacon matches the sector ID ofthe allocation, the STA considers this allocation of an occupiedresource that might cause interference.

5. WLAN Coexistence

If nodes in the network are made aware of access to the channel by othernodes, then overall efficiency and coexistence can be increased betweenthem. For TDD SP channel access, since nodes can access the channelwithout sensing, other nodes being aware of TDD channel usages can helpincrease the possibility of coexistence with a TDD SP channel.Information such as TDD slot structure, TDD scheduling for nodes in theTDD network, and direction of transmission, is preferably broadcast toall nodes in the surrounding area. Other nodes in the surrounding areascan for this information, if it exists and use it for their channelaccess. Other STAs using other access schemes like CBAP or regular SPscan broadcast the direction of channel usage and time allocation to helpothers coexist and access the channel more efficiently as well.

5.1. TDD SP Network

STAs using TDD SP are configured to transmit beacons in at least thedirection of potential data transmission or reception. The direction ofdata transmission is the direction where a STA is beamformed withanother STA and associated with it. The WLAN network beacons can carrythe allocation information without any details of the TDD SP structureand assignment. In addition, WLAN network beacons can carry theallocation information without any details on the direction over whichthese allocations are active.

(A) Modifications for STAs in the network using TDD-SP perform asfollows. (1) Each STA using TDD SP is sending beacons in at least thedirection where another STA is communicating using TDD SP. (2) In atleast one embodiment, the beacon contains the TDD slot structure and TDDschedule element for each allocation in the TDD SP. (3) In at least oneembodiment, the TDD Schedule element contains the slot assignment andthe direction of transmission (sector ID and DMG antenna ID oftransmission).

(B) Modification for STAs receiving the announcement perform as follows.(1) STAs outside the TDD-SP network (e.g., using TDD-SP channel accessor other channel access method) can receive the broadcast beacon if theyare not engaged in transmission or reception, and if the beacon isbeamformed towards its receiving direction. (2) The beacon can bereadily decoded by STAs receiving the beacon. (3) STAs can obtaininformation about the scheduled SPs and TDD-SPs slots. (4) STAs canobtain information about scheduled slots in their directions ofinterest. (5) STAs can identify free slots, or time, toward obtaininginterference free communication in the direction of their transmissionsor receptions. (6) STAs can quickly beamform with the detected STA wherea beacon is received just to determine the direction of potentialinterference without associating or authenticating with the discoveredSTA. (7) STAs can access the channel even if the Clear ChannelAssessment (CCA) threshold measured using quasi-omni antenna is not met,but the detected interference is detected from a different directionother than the one intended for communication.

5.2. CBAP and Regular SP Network

STAs using CBAP and regular SP transmit beacons in all directions. STAsshould at least transmit beacons in the direction of potential datatransmission or reception. The direction of data transmission is thedirection where a STA is beamformed with another STA and associated withit. WLAN network beacons can carry the extended schedule element, whichhas the allocation information, without any details of the transmit andreceive antenna used by the beacon transmitting STA. If the STA is usingboth TDD SP and CBAP or regular SP, the extended schedule element issent with the slot schedule and the slot structure elements. Thisprovides information about free time between different allocationperiods and inside the TDD SP period as well.

(A) Modification for STAs announcing directional and allocationinformation are as follows. (1) Each STA is sending beacons at least inthe direction where another STA is communicating with. (2) The beaconshould contain the EDMG extended schedule element where all allocationsare included in the element. (3) Each allocation in the EDMG extendedschedule element should specify the Tx and Rx antenna configuration usedfor this allocation (antenna type, sector ID and DMG antenna ID oftransmission).

(B) Modification for STAs receiving the announcement is as follows. (1)STAs outside the BSS (can be using any channel access scheme) canreceive the broadcast beacon if they are not engaged in transmission orreception and if the beacon is beamformed towards its receivingdirection. (2) STAs receiving the beacon can decode the beacon. (3) STAscan obtain from the beacon information about the active periods whereother nodes are accessing the channel. (4) STAs can obtain informationabout scheduled periods in its directions of interest. (5) STAs canidentify free periods toward forming interference free communications inthe direction of its transmission or reception. (6) STAs can quicklybeamform with the detected STA where a beacon is received just todetermine the direction of potential interference without associating orauthenticating with the discovered STA. (7) STAs can access the channeleven if the CCA threshold measured using quasi-omni antenna is not met(e.g., channel appears blocked), but the detected interference isdetected from a different direction other than the one intended forcommunication.

5.3. Generic Direction of Transmission Announcement

STAs in some cases transmit beacons in all directions. STAs should atleast transmit beacons in the direction of potential data transmissionor reception. The direction of data transmission is the direction wherea STA is beamformed with another STA and associated with it. Beaconsaccording to embodiments of the present disclosure can carry a newelement that contains the direction of active transmission or reception.

(A) Modification in the STAs announcing directional and allocationinformation is as follows. (1) Each STA is sending beacons in at leastthe direction that it is communicating with another STA. (2) In at leastone embodiment, the beacon contains the directional information elementwhere all active transmission and reception beam directions are includedin the element. (3) In at least one embodiment, each active transmissionor reception in the directional information element specifies the Tx andRx antenna configuration used for this active communication (antennatype, sector ID and DMG antenna ID of transmission).

(B) Modification in the STAs receiving the announcement is as follows.(1) STAs outside the BSS (e.g., they can be using any channel accessscheme) can receive the broadcast beacon if they are not engaged intransmission or reception and if the beacon is beamformed towards itsreceiving direction. (2) STAs receiving the beacon can decode thebeacon. (3) STAs can obtain information about the active communicationdirections from the allocation information contained in the beacon. (4)STAs can quickly beamform with the detected STA where a beacon isreceived just to determine the direction of potential interferencewithout associating or authenticating with the discovered STA. (5) STAscan access the channel even if the CCA threshold measured usingquasi-omni antenna is not met (channel appears closed), but the detectedinterference is detected from a direction different from the oneintended for communication.

6. Modified and New Information Elements

6.1. EDMG Extended Schedule Element and Directional Info

The EDMG Extended Schedule element defines the channel scheduling for anEDMG BSS, including indication of which channels an allocation isscheduled on.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example embodiment 170 of the EDMG extendedschedule element format. The element ID, Element ID extension and lengthindicate the type of element and length of the element. The EDGMAllocation Control field contains some control bits to the EDMGallocation process. The Number of Allocations field indicates the numberof allocations in the element. A number of channel allocation fields areshown as described below.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example embodiment 190 of the channel Allocationfield. If the Scheduling type is 1 it indicates that the channelallocation field contains the complete allocation information, otherwiseit only contains supplemental information. The channel aggregation andBW subfields define the BW the allocation is using. The AsymmetricBeamforming, NSTS and Nmax STS subfields are used to configureAsymmetric beamform training allocation if the Asymmetric Beamformingsubfield is 1. The Receive Direction and Transmit Direction subfieldsindicate the receive antenna and the transmit antenna configuration thatthe PCP or AP uses during the allocation and are formatted as shownbelow. The Receive Direction and Transmit Direction subfields arereserved if the Asymmetric Beamforming Training subfield is one.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example embodiment 210 of receive and transmitdirection subfields. The IsDirectional subfield is set to 1 to indicatethat the PCP or AP uses a directional, non-quasi-omni antenna pattern toreceive frames when it is receiving or to transmit frames when it istransmitting during the allocation, and is set to 0 otherwise. TheSector ID subfield is reserved if the IsDirectional subfield is 0.Otherwise, the Sector ID subfield indicates the sector that the AP orPCP uses to receive frames when it is receiving or to transmit frameswhen it is transmitting during this allocation. The DMG Antenna IDsubfield is reserved if the IsDirectional subfield is 0. Otherwise, theDMG Antenna ID subfield indicates the DMG antenna that the AP or PCPuses to receive frames when it is receiving or to transmit frames whenit is transmitting during this allocation.

6.2. TDD SP Allocation and Directionality Broadcasting

The TDD Schedule element contains information about the accessassignment of a DMG STA to TDD slots within a TDD SP. It is used toinform a STA about when to transmit and expect reception within anallocated TDD-SP period.

FIG. 19 illustrates an example embodiment 230 of the TDD slot scheduleelement format. The element ID, Length, and Element ID extensionindicate the type of element and length of the element. The Bit Map andAccess Type Schedule field and Slot Category Schedule field indicate themapping for transmit and reception and type of slots for this specificallocation.

FIG. 20 illustrates an example embodiment 250 of the slot scheduleControl field format. The channel aggregation and BW fields define theBW the allocation is using. The slot schedule start time indicates whenthe schedule element information takes effect. The Number of TDDIntervals in the Bitmap indicates the number of TDD intervals in thebitmap after the TDD schedule start time. The allocation ID refers to aspecific allocation identified by that ID. The Tx sector ID and the TxDMG antenna ID indicate the sector and DMG antenna IDs used fortransmission in this allocation as of the transmission of this element.The Rx sector ID and the Rx DMG antenna ID indicate the sector and DMGantenna IDs used for reception in this allocation as of the transmissionof this element. In addition, in at least one embodiment, bits arereserved to support additional functionality.

6.3. Directional Information Element

A new element is introduced where it can be sent with frames that arebroadcast in all directions, through either directional beams, using aquasi-omni antenna, or even through a different band. The new element,for example, can be attached to the beacon in DMG beacon transmission.Examples of the element are shown in the following figures.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example embodiment 270 of a directionalinformational (DI) element. The DI element contains the element ID,Length, and Element ID extension which indicate the type of element andlength of the element. The number of antenna beams configured isindicated in the Number of antenna beam configuration. It determines thenumber of antenna configuration fields in the element. Each antennaconfiguration contains at least one pair of Transmit Direction andReceive direction fields, and more typically multiple pairs withtransmit and receive information for multiple directions. The TransmitDirection and receive Direction fields are similar to the fields definedin FIG. 18.

FIG. 22 illustrates an example embodiment 290 of another directionalinformational (DI) element. The element contains the element ID, Length,and Element ID extension which indicate the type of element and lengthof the element. The element contains a map for active beams for each DMGantenna. The Number of DMG antenna field indicates the number of Tx, Rxmap fields in the element. The number of Tx beam patterns and the numberof Rx beam patterns indicate the size of the Tx and Rx map. Each DMGantenna has a Tx and Rx beam ID map. The beam ID related to the maplocation is set if this beam ID is active in Tx or reception in the Txor Rx beam ID map.

7. Allocation and Direction Tx Broadcasting Example

7.1. Broadcasting Only in Direction of Allocated Tx of TDD SP Schedulingand Allocation Information

Each beacon transmitted in direction “i” contains the TDD slot scheduleand TDD slot structure for the active transmission in that direction. Ifthere is more than one active transmission or reception in thatdirection the TDD schedule and structure elements for these active Tx/Rxare included with the beacon. In at least one embodiment, the node sendsthe same TDD schedule and structure elements for these active Tx/Rx inneighboring directions to inform them of possible leakage from a nearbyactive beam.

FIG. 23 illustrates an example embodiment 310 of transmitting beaconswith TDD directional and allocation information. Processing starts 312and beacon transmission is prepared 314 for direction “i”. A check ismade 316 if there is active transmission or reception for direction “i”.If there is active Tx/Rx in that direction, then in block 318 the TDDschedule structure is added for this direction of beacon transmission,and execution moves to block 320. If there are no active Tx/Rxdetermined for that direction in block 316, then execution movesdirectly to block 320, which transmits the beacon in direction “i”. Acheck is then made 322 if there are more beacons to be transmitted. Ifthere are more beacons to be transmitted, then direction i is updated324 to the next direction where a beacon is sent, then a return is madeto block 314, otherwise the processing ends 326.

FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B illustrate example embodiments 330, 340 of framestransmitted in different beacon frame directions. In FIG. 24A an exampleof a beacon frame is shown transmitted with TDD slot schedule andstructure information elements for two allocations (allocation 1 andallocation 2) that are active in direction “i” and for which the beaconis transmitted in direction “i”. In FIG. 24B an example of a beaconframe is transmitted with TDD slot schedule and structure informationelements for one allocation (nAllocation 3) that is active in directioni+1 and for which the beacon is transmitted in direction i+1.

7.2. Broadcasting All Scheduling, Allocation and Direction of AllocatedTx in All Directions for TDD SP Channel Access

Each beacon transmitted in any direction “i” contains the TDD slotschedule and TDD slot structure elements for all active transmission,such as in all directions. Each of these elements refers to a specificallocation ID and defines beam ID used for this allocation. Thereceiving STA utilizes this information to determine if the intendeddirection of reception, or transmission, matches the allocation ID andbeam ID which could lead to possible interference.

FIG. 25 illustrates an example embodiment 390 of steps for transmittingbeacons with TDD directional and allocation information. Processingstarts 392 followed by preparing 394 a list of “n” active peerscommunicating with the present node (STA). A processing sequence startsby determining 396 if there are any active peers, or if they have allbeen processed. It should be appreciated, that although this is shownusing a decrement count sequence, that an incrementing count sequence,or non-sequence coding used so that each of the active peers isaddressed.

If there are active peers, then block 398 is reached and the TDDschedule is added to the beacon information elements (IE). Then, theactive peer counter is decremented 400, with a return to block 396.

Otherwise, if there are no peers, or no more active peers, then block402 is reached, adding prepared information elements (IEs), and thebeacon is transmitted in direction “i”. Then at block 404 a check ismade if there are additional beacons to be transmitted. If there aremore beacons, then the direction is updated at block 406 and a return ismade to block 402, otherwise, execution ends at block 408.

Thus, it is seen that the TDD slot schedule and TDD slot structureelements are prepared for all active transmissions and receptions. TheTDD slot schedule and TDD slot structure elements are all added to eachbeacon transmitted.

FIG. 26A and FIG. 26B illustrate example embodiments 410, 420 ofdifferent beacon frame transmissions. In FIG. 26A a beacon frame istransmitted with TDD slot schedule and structure information elementsfor “n” allocations that are active in all directions, the beacon istransmitted in direction “i”, while in FIG. 26B the beacon frame istransmitted in direction “i+1” where the same elements are added for alldirections.

7.3. Broadcast Extended DMG Allocation Information with Transmit andReceive Direction Information

The STA adds the transmit and receive directions to each allocationfield in the EDMG extended allocation element. The STA is configured toadd the TDD scheduling and structure elements as described in theprevious example if any of the allocations are a TDD SP allocation.

7.4. Broadcast Directional Information Element

FIG. 27 illustrates an example embodiment 430 of transmitting beaconswith a directional information element (IE). Processing starts 432 and alist of “n” peers, which are actively communicating with the node, isprepared 434. Directional information (IE) is prepared 436 with all theTx and Rx maps set to null (zero). A check is made at block 438, ifthere are any additional active peers to be processed. If there areadditional active peers found at block 438, then at block 440, beaminformation is recorded in the Tx and Rx maps for the beam ID locationfor the specific DMG antenna. The loop control is updated at block 442,in this case decrementing the value of “n”. If there were no activepeers, or all active peers have been addressed in the above sequence,then in block 444, the prepared information element (IE) is added to thebeacon and it is transmitted in direction “i”. A check is made at block446 if there are more beacons to be transmitted. If there are morebeacons, then the direction is updated at block 448 and a return is madeto block 444, otherwise, execution ends at block 450.

Thus, it is seen above that each beacon transmitted carries thedirectional information element. The directional information element isprepared by going through all active communications with other peer STAsand marking the active Tx and Rx beam IDs in the map as used withrespect to the corresponding DMG antenna. The STA sets all bits in theTx Rx maps to zero (an indication of unused) and sequences through allthe active communications and sets the beam ID used for Tx and Rx to I(an indication of in use). Once all active communication is performed,the information element is sent with any transmitted beacon or framebroadcasted to announce directional information.

8. STA Receiving Beacon with Allocation and Directional Tx or RxInformation

Any STA receiving the TDD SP Schedule and Structure elements, theextended schedule element or the directional information element, suchas through a beacon frame, can extract information about the spectrumallocation in the direction it is received from. If the directionalinformation is available in the allocation schedule, the STA comparesthe transmit beam ID of the received beacon to the directionalinformation in the allocation information. If the beacon Tx beam IDmatches with any of the directional beam IDs of the allocation containedin the scheduling elements, then this indicates that there is an activetransmission or reception in that direction. In response to this, theSTA can take one of a number of actions as described in the followingsections.

FIG. 28 illustrates an example embodiment 470 of a STA receivingbeacons. Processing starts 472 and a check is made 474 for a beaconbeing received. If a beacon is not received, then execution returns toblock 474, or processing moves off to perform other tasks, and laterchecks for beacon receipt. If it is found that a beacon is received,then at block 476 a check is made if the beacon contains allocation ordirectional information elements. If there are no additional informationelements, then execution moves to block 486. Otherwise, the informationelements are processed starting at block 478, with a check fordirectional information being available in the allocation information.If there is no directional information, then block 480 is executed whichprocesses allocation information, and execution moves to block 486.Otherwise, if there is directional information, then block 482 isreached which checks if the beacon Tx beam ID matches the directionalallocation information. If there is a match, then block 484 processesthe directional and allocation information and execution moves to block486. Otherwise, if there are no matches at block 482, then executionmoves directly to block 486. At block 486 the received beacon isprocessed, after which this process ends 488.

Thus, the above processing illustrates that the beacons can be receivedfrom another STA within the BSS that the STA is part of, or from adifferent BSS STA. The STA can process the beacon information even if itwas from a different BSS other than the one the STA is part off. Once anSTA receives a beacon, if allocation information does not exist in thebeacon, the STA processes the beacon in the typical manner. IfAllocation information exists (TDD SP schedule and structure or extendedschedule elements), the STA monitors for directional transmission andreception information attached to the beacon. If there is no directionaltransmission and reception information contained in the beacon(direction of transmission and reception of active transmission andreceptions), the STA processes the allocation information only in thebeacon.

This processing provides a number of benefits as follows. (a) Avoidingtransmission or reception at a time when the other nodes are active intransmission or reception. (b) Performing beamforming with the node toallocate, and thus mark as used, the direction of interference. (c)Estimating expected interference and determining period(s) whereinterference is expected to be less compared to another period(s) oftime. (d) Estimating level of occupancy of a specific STA to determineif a situation exists in which direct communication with that STA iswarranted.

It should be appreciated that having the directional informationavailable allows determining with greater certainty if interference is,or could be, affecting the receiving STA. However if the directionalinformation does not match the beacon Tx beam ID, the STA assumes thatthis allocation is not affecting the node since it is in a differentdirection that might not be received by the STA. Unless a beacon isreceived from an interfering station from the direction of interference,during active transmission or reception, the STA does not consider thisas a threat to its communication, and the STA processes the beacon inthe typical manner.

9. Beamforming to Find Potential Interference Direction

A STA receiving a beacon with directional and allocation information isinformed about the existence of potential interference regarding aspecific time allocation. Since the sensing is usually performed using aquasi-omni directional antenna, it is not known which directions can beaffected by this interfering station. A STA detecting a potentialinterference can trigger beamforming to determine the direction of thepotential interfering station. The purpose of beamforming in thisinstance is not to setup a link or perform authentication or associationwith the discovered node. The beamforming is triggered based on the typeof channel access the discovered STA is using, whether it is TDDbeamforming or regular beamforming. One implementation of performingthis Rx beamforming is by sending TRN fields (Training fields) with thebeacon or the SSW frame. This would aid the STA in finding the directionof interference without the need to communicate with the other STA.After beamforming with the interfering station, the STA can determinethe direction the interference is coming from and take that into accountwhen accessing the spectrum in that direction.

FIG. 29A through FIG. 29C illustrates an example embodiment 510, 530,550 depicting STA A 520, STA B 512 and STA C 514. In FIG. 29A STA B 512is communicating with STA C 514 in a process in which STA B 512transmits beacon 516 in the direction of STA C 514 and has establishedan active Tx/Rx communication 518. It is seen that STA A 520 alsoreceives 522 the beacon with a quasi-omni antenna. In FIG. 29B STA A 520discovers the interference and performs RX beamforming 532 in order todetermine the direction of the interfering station. In FIG. 29C STA A520 determines 552 the direction of the interfering station.

10. Accessing the Channel Above CCA Threshold

FIG. 30A through FIG. 30D illustrate an example embodiment 610, 630,650, 670 of accessing a channel above the CCA threshold. A STA sensingthe channel using a quasi-omni antenna can obtain a false indication ofchannel usage in the direction that it is interested in using. If theSTA senses the channel and finds no transmission it should be free toaccess the channel, however if the CCA failed it might be a false alarmsince the STA is communicating in a different direction in relation tothe sensed interference.

Stations (STAs) STA A 616, STA B 612, STA C 614, and STA D 618 are shownin a local portion of a mmW network. In FIG. 30A it is seen that STA B612 and STA C 614 have established communications 620 occupying thatdirectional sector (channel). STA A 616 and STA D 618 attempt channelaccess 624 and the clear channel assessment (CCA) fails 622.

In FIG. 30B, after the CCA failed, STA A 616 listens 635 for beacons. InFIG. 30A the channel access attempt by STA A failed, so STA A is stilltrying to access 634 the channel through listening for beacons. All theprocedure discussed here is part of the channel access attempt STA B 612is seen transmitting 632 a beacon with allocation and directioninformation. In the present disclosure, if a beacon is found withdirectional transmission information (such as seen here from STA B) itis used to find if the interference is coming for the direction of theintended communication. The beacon carries information about theallocation in the channel and direction of transmission. If the receivedbeam ID from a received beacon matches the allocation beam ID, then thisindicates that the interference might be a threat. If not, that meansthat the interfering station might be located in a direction that is notaffecting the sensing node.

In FIG. 30C STA B 612 is seen performing Tx antenna training 652, andSTA A 616 is seen performing Rx antenna training 654. It will berecognized that in the present disclosure, if the beacon is marked as apotential interfering station (e.g., interferer), in at least oneinstance, the STA performs beamforming with the interferer to determinethe direction affected by the interferer. In at least one exampleembodiment, the STA transmitting the beacon transmits TRN fields(Training fields) to assist the other STA in Rx beam training, althoughother ways of handling the interference can be performed.

In FIG. 30D STA A determines the antenna direction sector which iscausing the interference, and at least this sector is marked as beingbusy. It should be appreciated that the present disclosure is alsoconfigured with the ability, if desired, to also mark neighboringsectors as busy if the received power threshold is high, or for examplebased on other information, such as knowledge of node movement. It willbe noted that a direction marked as busy is blocked for access, sincesome other node is transmitting information in that direction andinterference is high. The STA (STA A) can though access other “not busy”directions (STA D) in this example.

11. Summary of Disclosure Elements

The following summary discloses certain important elements of theinstant disclosure, however the summary is not to be construed asdescribing the only important elements of the disclosure.

STAs announce their time allocations and the directionality ofallocation by broadcasting this information with the network discoverysignal. Both the allocation and directional information being broadcastidentify the time resources allocated in each of the directions. Thisinformation can be broadcast as follows. (a) STAs scheduling allocationsare communicated in case of CBAP or SP channel access and the Tx beamdirection of this allocation. (b) STAs Slot Structure and Slot scheduleinformation is communicated in the case of TDD SP channel access and theTx beam direction of this allocation. (c) A directional informationelement is communicated that contains directions where active allocation(transmit or receive activity) is scheduled.

The STA can send the allocation and the directional information by anyone of the following methods. (a) Transmission in each direction of thelist of TDD SP slot schedules and structures related to the allocationin that direction. (b) Broadcast all TDD SP slot schedule and structureelements in all directions. (c) Broadcast the EDMG scheduled allocationinformation and transmit and receive directional information in alldirections. (d) Broadcast the directional information element in alldirections.

STAs should at least transmit beacons in the direction of transmission.The beacon can contain all allocation and directional information. OtherSTAs receiving the beacons can obtain information about the allocationand directionality of transmission in the network.

STAs compare the beacon Tx beam ID with the allocation Tx beam ID toknow if the allocation is in the direction of reception or not.

STAs can perform Rx beamforming with the received beacon if it isindicating interference in its direction. This can be performed throughusing additional training fields sent attached to the beacon or otherbeamforming techniques.

STAs can use the Rx beamforming information to identify channel usagedirections. If the sensed channel usage turned out to be from adirection other than that of the intended direction of access, the STAcan access the channel even if the CCA fails.

12. General Scope of Embodiments

The enhancements described in the presented technology can be readilyimplemented within the protocols of various wireless communicationstations. It should also be appreciated that wireless communicationstations are preferably implemented to include one or more computerprocessor devices (e.g., CPU, microprocessor, microcontroller, computerenabled ASIC, etc.) and associated memory storing instructions (e.g.,RAM, DRAM, NVRAM, FLASH, computer readable media, etc.) wherebyprogramming (instructions) stored in the memory are executed on theprocessor to perform the steps of the various process methods describedherein.

The computer and memory devices were not depicted in every one of thediagrams for the sake of simplicity of illustration, as one of ordinaryskill in the art recognizes the use of computer devices for carrying outsteps involved with controlling a wireless communication station. Thepresented technology is non-limiting with regard to memory andcomputer-readable media, insofar as these are non-transitory, and thusnot constituting a transitory electronic signal.

Embodiments of the present technology may be described herein withreference to flowchart illustrations of methods and systems according toembodiments of the technology, and/or procedures, algorithms, steps,operations, formulae, or other computational depictions, which may alsobe implemented as computer program products. In this regard, each blockor step of a flowchart, and combinations of blocks (and/or steps) in aflowchart, as well as any procedure, algorithm, step, operation,formula, or computational depiction can be implemented by various means,such as hardware, firmware, and/or software including one or morecomputer program instructions embodied in computer-readable programcode. As will be appreciated, any such computer program instructions maybe executed by one or more computer processors, including withoutlimitation a general purpose computer or special purpose computer, orother programmable processing apparatus to produce a machine, such thatthe computer program instructions which execute on the computerprocessor(s) or other programmable processing apparatus create means forimplementing the function(s) specified.

Accordingly, blocks of the flowcharts, and procedures, algorithms,steps, operations, formulae, or computational depictions describedherein support combinations of means for performing the specifiedfunction(s), combinations of steps for performing the specifiedfunction(s), and computer program instructions, such as embodied incomputer-readable program code logic means, for performing the specifiedfunction(s). It will also be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations, as well as any procedures, algorithms, steps, operations,formulae, or computational depictions and combinations thereof describedherein, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computersystems which perform the specified function(s) or step(s), orcombinations of special purpose hardware and computer-readable programcode.

Furthermore, these computer program instructions, such as embodied incomputer-readable program code, may also be stored in one or morecomputer-readable memory or memory devices that can direct a computerprocessor or other programmable processing apparatus to function in aparticular manner, such that the instructions stored in thecomputer-readable memory or memory devices produce an article ofmanufacture including instruction means which implement the functionspecified in the block(s) of the flowchart(s). The computer programinstructions may also be executed by a computer processor or otherprogrammable processing apparatus to cause a series of operational stepsto be performed on the computer processor or other programmableprocessing apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such thatthe instructions which execute on the computer processor or otherprogrammable processing apparatus provide steps for implementing thefunctions specified in the block(s) of the flowchart(s), procedure (s)algorithm(s), step(s), operation(s), formula(e), or computationaldepiction(s).

It will further be appreciated that the terms “programming” or “programexecutable” as used herein refer to one or more instructions that can beexecuted by one or more computer processors to perform one or morefunctions as described herein. The instructions can be embodied insoftware, in firmware, or in a combination of software and firmware. Theinstructions can be stored local to the device in non-transitory media,or can be stored remotely such as on a server, or all or a portion ofthe instructions can be stored locally and remotely. Instructions storedremotely can be downloaded (pushed) to the device by user initiation, orautomatically based on one or more factors.

It will further be appreciated that as used herein, that the termsprocessor, hardware processor, computer processor, central processingunit (CPU), and computer are used synonymously to denote a devicecapable of executing the instructions and communicating withinput/output interfaces and/or peripheral devices, and that the termsprocessor, hardware processor, computer processor, CPU, and computer areintended to encompass single or multiple devices, single core andmulticore devices, and variations thereof.

From the description herein, it will be appreciated that the presentdisclosure encompasses multiple embodiments which include, but are notlimited to, the following:

1. An apparatus for wireless communication in a network, the apparatuscomprising: (a) a wireless communication circuit configured forwirelessly communicating with at least one other wireless communicationcircuit using directional communications; (b) a processor coupled tosaid wireless communication circuit within a station configured foroperating on a wireless network; (c) a non-transitory memory storinginstructions executable by the processor; and (d) wherein saidinstructions, when executed by the processor, perform steps comprising:(d)(i) broadcasting time and directional allocations which identify timeand resource allocations in each direction of the directionalcommunications; (d)(ii) wherein said directional allocations are sentwithin a network discovery signal that is broadcast as: (A) schedulingallocations in a Contention-Based Access Period (CBAP) or regularService Period (SP) channel access and transmit beam direction of thisallocation, or (B) communicating slot structure and slot scheduleinformation for Time Division Duplex (TDD) Service Period (SP) channelaccess and transmit beam direction of this allocation, or (C)communicating a directional information element containing directions inwhich active allocation of transmit or receive activity is scheduled.

2. An apparatus for wireless communication in a network, the apparatuscomprising: (a) a wireless communication circuit configured forwirelessly communicating with at least one other wireless communicationcircuit using directional communications; (b) a processor coupled tosaid wireless communication circuit within a station configured foroperating on a wireless network; (c) a non-transitory memory storinginstructions executable by the processor; and (d) wherein saidinstructions, when executed by the processor, perform steps comprising:(d)(i) broadcasting time and directional allocations which identify timeand resource allocations in each direction of the directionalcommunications; (d)(ii) wherein said time and directional allocationsare sent within a network discovery signal that is broadcast as: (A)scheduling allocations in a Contention-Based Access Period (CBAP) orregular Service Period (SP) channel access and transmit beam directionof this allocation, or (B) communicating slot structure and slotschedule information for Time Division Duplex (TDD) Service Period (SP)channel access and transmit beam direction of this allocation, or (C)communicating a directional information element containing directions inwhich active allocation of transmit or receive activity is scheduled;and (d)(iii) wherein time and directional allocations are selected fromthe group of broadcasting mechanisms consisting of: (A) transmitting alist of Time Division Duplex (TDD) Service Period (SP) slot schedulesand structures in each direction which describes allocation in thatdirection; (B) broadcasting all Time Division Duplex (TDD) ServicePeriod (SP) slot schedules and structure elements in all directions; (C)broadcasting Extended Directional Multi-Gigabit (EDMG) scheduledallocation information and transmit and receive directional informationin all directions; and (D) broadcasting directional information elementsin all directions.

3. A method of performing wireless communication in a network, themethod comprising: (a) wirelessly communicating between wirelesscommunication circuits, stations, configured for wirelesslycommunicating with one another using directional communications; (b)broadcasting time and directional allocations which identify time andresource allocations in each direction of the directional communicationsas sent within a network discovery signal that is broadcast as: (b)(i)scheduling allocations in a Contention-Based Access Period (CBAP) orregular Service Period (SP) channel access and transmit beam directionof this allocation, or (b)(ii) communicating slot structure and slotschedule information for Time Division Duplex (TDD) Service Period (SP)channel access and transmit beam direction of this allocation, or(b)(iii) communicating a directional information element containingdirections in which active allocation of transmit or receive activity isscheduled.

4. The apparatus or method of any preceding embodiment, wherein saidinstructions when executed by the processor perform said broadcasting oftime and directional allocations as selected from the group ofbroadcasting mechanisms consisting of: (a) transmitting a list of TimeDivision Duplex (TDD) Service Period (SP) slot schedules and structuresin each direction which describes allocation in that direction; (b)broadcasting all Time Division Duplex (TDD) Service Period (SP) slotschedules and structure elements in all directions; (c) broadcastingExtended Directional Multi-Gigabit (EDMG) scheduled allocationinformation and transmit and receive directional information in alldirections; and (d) broadcasting directional information elements in alldirections.

5. The apparatus or method of any preceding embodiment, wherein saidinstructions when executed by the processor further comprise saidstation transmitting beacons or beamforming frames, containing time anddirectional allocations, in said station's direction of transmission,from which stations receiving the beacons or beamforming frames canobtain information on allocation and directionality of transmission forthe network.

6. The apparatus or method of any preceding embodiment, wherein saidinstructions when executed by the processor further comprise comparingbeacon or beamforming frame transmit beam ID with the allocationtransmit beam ID to determine if the allocation is in the direction ofreception or not.

7. The apparatus or method of any preceding embodiment, wherein saidinstructions when executed by the processor further comprises performingreceiver beamforming in response to receiving a beacon or a beamformingframe indicating that interference is arising in its direction.

8. The apparatus or method of any preceding embodiment, wherein saidreceiver beamforming is performed comprising utilizing additionaltraining fields attached to the beacon or the beamforming frame used.

9. The apparatus or method of any preceding embodiment, wherein saidinstructions when executed by the processor further comprise utilizingreceiver beamforming information to identify channel usage directions,so that if sensed channel usage is from a direction other that anintended direction of access, said station can obtain channel accesseven if a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) fails.

10. The apparatus or method of any preceding embodiment, wherein saidwireless communication circuit comprises a millimeter wave stationconfigured for directional communications.

11. The apparatus or method of any preceding embodiment, wherein saidwireless communication circuit is configured for operating in both meshnetworks and non-mesh networks.

12. The apparatus or method of any preceding embodiment, wherein saidwireless communication circuit is configured with directionalcommunications on a first band and for quasi-omni directionalcommunications on a second band.

As used herein, the singular terms “a,” “an,” and “the” may includeplural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Reference to an object in the singular is not intended to mean “one andonly one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.”

As used herein, the term “set” refers to a collection of one or moreobjects. Thus, for example, a set of objects can include a single objector multiple objects.

As used herein, the terms “substantially” and “about” are used todescribe and account for small variations. When used in conjunction withan event or circumstance, the terms can refer to instances in which theevent or circumstance occurs precisely as well as instances in which theevent or circumstance occurs to a close approximation. When used inconjunction with a numerical value, the terms can refer to a range ofvariation of less than or equal to ±10% of that numerical value, such asless than or equal to ±5%, less than or equal to ±4%, less than or equalto ±3%, less than or equal to ±2%, less than or equal to ±1%, less thanor equal to ±0.5%, less than or equal to ±0.1%, or less than or equal to±0.05%. For example, “substantially” aligned can refer to a range ofangular variation of less than or equal to ±10°, such as less than orequal to ±5°, less than or equal to ±4°, less than or equal to ±3°, lessthan or equal to ±2°, less than or equal to ±1°, less than or equal to±0.5°, less than or equal to ±0.1°, or less than or equal to ±0.05°.

Additionally, amounts, ratios, and other numerical values may sometimesbe presented herein in a range format. It is to be understood that suchrange format is used for convenience and brevity and should beunderstood flexibly to include numerical values explicitly specified aslimits of a range, but also to include all individual numerical valuesor sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical valueand sub-range is explicitly specified. For example, a ratio in the rangeof about 1 to about 200 should be understood to include the explicitlyrecited limits of about 1 and about 200, but also to include individualratios such as about 2, about 3, and about 4, and sub-ranges such asabout 10 to about 50, about 20 to about 100, and so forth.

Although the description herein contains many details, these should notbe construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure but as merelyproviding illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments.Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the disclosure fullyencompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilledin the art.

All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of thedisclosed embodiments that are known to those of ordinary skill in theart are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended tobe encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element,component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to bededicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, ormethod step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element hereinis to be construed as a “means plus function” element unless the elementis expressly recited using the phrase “means for”. No claim elementherein is to be construed as a “step plus function” element unless theelement is expressly recited using the phrase “step for”.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for wireless communication in anetwork, the apparatus comprising: (a) a wireless communication circuitconfigured for wirelessly communicating with at least one other wirelesscommunication circuit using directional communications; (b) a processorcoupled to said wireless communication circuit within a stationconfigured for operating on a wireless network; (c) a non-transitorymemory storing instructions executable by the processor; and (d) whereinsaid instructions, when executed by the processor, perform stepscomprising: (i) broadcasting time and directional allocations whichidentify time and resource allocations in each direction of thedirectional communications; (ii) wherein said directional allocationsare sent within a network discovery signal that is broadcast as: (A)scheduling allocations in a Contention-Based Access Period (CBAP) orregular Service Period (SP) channel access and transmit beam directionof this allocation, or (B) communicating slot structure and slotschedule information for Time Division Duplex (TDD) Service Period (SP)channel access and transmit beam direction of this allocation, or (C)communicating a directional information element containing directions inwhich active allocation of transmit or receive activity is scheduled. 2.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said instructions when executed by theprocessor perform said broadcasting of time and directional allocationsas selected from the group of broadcasting mechanisms consisting of: (a)transmitting a list of Time Division Duplex (TDD) Service Period (SP)slot schedules and structures in each direction which describesallocation in that direction; (b) broadcasting all Time Division Duplex(TDD) Service Period (SP) slot schedules and structure elements in alldirections; (c) broadcasting Extended Directional Multi-Gigabit (EDMG)scheduled allocation information and transmit and receive directionalinformation in all directions; and (d) broadcasting directionalinformation elements in all directions.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein said instructions when executed by the processor furthercomprise said station transmitting beacons or beamforming frames,containing time and directional allocations, in said station's directionof transmission, from which stations receiving the beacons orbeamforming frames can obtain information on allocation anddirectionality of transmission for the network.
 4. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein said instructions when executed by the processorfurther comprise comparing beacon or beamforming frame transmit beam IDwith the allocation transmit beam ID to determine if the allocation isin the direction of reception or not.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein said instructions when executed by the processor furthercomprises performing receiver beamforming in response to receiving abeacon or a beamforming frame indicating that interference is arising inits direction.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said receiverbeamforming is performed comprising utilizing additional training fieldsattached to the beacon or the beamforming frame used.
 7. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein said instructions when executed by the processorfurther comprise utilizing receiver beamforming information to identifychannel usage directions, so that if sensed channel usage is from adirection other that an intended direction of access, said station canobtain channel access even if a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) fails. 8.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication circuitcomprises a millimeter wave station configured for directionalcommunications.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wirelesscommunication circuit is configured for operating in both mesh networksand non-mesh networks.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidwireless communication circuit is configured with directionalcommunications on a first band and for quasi-omni directionalcommunications on a second band.
 11. An apparatus for wirelesscommunication in a network, comprising: (a) a wireless communicationcircuit configured for wirelessly communicating with at least one otherwireless communication circuit using directional communications; (b) aprocessor coupled to said wireless communication circuit within astation configured for operating on a wireless network; (c) anon-transitory memory storing instructions executable by the processor;and (d) wherein said instructions, when executed by the processor,perform steps comprising: (i) broadcasting time and directionalallocations which identify time and resource allocations in eachdirection of the directional communications (ii) wherein said time anddirectional allocations are sent within a network discovery signal thatis broadcast as: (A) scheduling allocations in a Contention-Based AccessPeriod (CBAP) or regular Service Period (SP) channel access and transmitbeam direction of this allocation, or (B) communicating slot structureand slot schedule information for Time Division Duplex (TDD) ServicePeriod (SP) channel access and transmit beam direction of thisallocation, or (C) communicating a directional information elementcontaining directions in which active allocation of transmit or receiveactivity is scheduled; and (iii) wherein time and directionalallocations are selected from the group of broadcasting mechanismsconsisting of: (a) transmitting a list of Time Division Duplex (TDD)Service Period (SP) slot schedules and structures in each directionwhich describes allocation in that direction; (b) broadcasting all TimeDivision Duplex (TDD) Service Period (SP) slot schedules and structureelements in all directions; (c) broadcasting Extended DirectionalMulti-Gigabit (EDMG) scheduled allocation information and transmit andreceive directional information in all directions; and (d) broadcastingdirectional information elements in all directions.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 11, wherein said instructions when executed by the processorfurther comprise said station transmitting beacons or beamformingframes, containing time and directional allocations, in said station'sdirection of transmission, from which stations receiving the beacons orbeamforming frames can obtain information on allocation anddirectionality of transmission for the network.
 13. The apparatus ofclaim 11, wherein said instructions when executed by the processorfurther comprise comparing beacon or beamforming frame transmit beam IDwith the allocation transmit beam ID to determine if the allocation isin the direction of reception or not.
 14. The apparatus of claim 11,wherein said instructions when executed by the processor furthercomprises performing receiver beamforming in response to receiving abeacon or a beamforming frame indicating that interference is arising inits direction.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said receiverbeamforming is performed comprising utilizing additional training fieldsattached to the beacon or the beamforming frame used.
 16. The apparatusof claim 11, wherein said instructions when executed by the processorfurther comprise utilizing receiver beamforming information to identifychannel usage directions, so that if sensed channel usage is from adirection other that an intended direction of access, said station canobtain channel access even if a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) fails.17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said wireless communicationcircuit comprises a millimeter wave station configured for directionalcommunications.
 18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said wirelesscommunication circuit is configured for operating in both mesh networksand non-mesh networks.
 19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein saidwireless communication circuit is configured with directionalcommunications on a first band and for quasi-omni directionalcommunications on a second band.
 20. A method of performing wirelesscommunication in a network, comprising: (a) wirelessly communicatingbetween wireless communication circuits, stations, configured forwirelessly communicating with one another using directionalcommunications; (b) broadcasting time and directional allocations whichidentify time and resource allocations in each direction of thedirectional communications as sent within a network discovery signalthat is broadcast as: (A) scheduling allocations in a Contention-BasedAccess Period (CBAP) or regular Service Period (SP) channel access andtransmit beam direction of this allocation, or (B) communicating slotstructure and slot schedule information for Time Division Duplex (TDD)Service Period (SP) channel access and transmit beam direction of thisallocation, or (C) communicating a directional information elementcontaining directions in which active allocation of transmit or receiveactivity is scheduled.